DeAndre Jordan continues to impress. You always have to offer a qualifier in Summer League, because many of Jordan’s easy routes to the hoop won’t be there when long, speedy NBA help defenders in the regular season slide over to cut off DJ’s path to the rim, but here in Vegas, he’s winning every race to the basket — by a mile. His post moves are far more refined. He’s pivoting middle, bumping his defender with authority as he backs in, and isn’t rushing his shot. He’s shooting 15-for-19 from the field over the two games. Equally impressive? The defensive strides. DJ is communicating with his teammates. He’s not dropping back aimlessly on the pick-and-roll.

Blake Griffin is a far more versatile player than he was five months ago in a Sooner uniform: the interior passing out of double-teams and his range, in particular. So far as his work down low, his fundamental understanding of his strengths is unparalleled. A nice example of this came in the third quarter, when he was fed the ball underneath on the right block. The defense came quickly. Rather than travel or get flustered (which would’ve been the case for 65% of the PFs in the league), Griffin showed great control and patience moving his pivot foot for a reverse layup. Griffin’s obvious physical gifts jump out at you. But it’s his more subtle attributes — balance and a good low base — that will make him a dominant force. Even the most physical interior defenders are going to have a tough time knocking Griffin off his move. Defensively, he’ll have some work to do. He’s a great communicator and has the ability to read opposing offenses. Switch-and-recovery? Check. Driving point guards away from the screen on a trap? Check. But as a post defender, he has room to improve — and he will.

Eric Gordon‘s performance was encouraging in that he scored 22 points on 19 possessions without hitting a shot from beyond the arc. Obviously, you always like to see EJ light it up from the outside, but it’s not as if his shot won’t be there. What you do like to see is the expansion of his post game, something he utilized effectively against some of the Hornets’ smaller defenders. Eric’s defense was also a nice feature to yesterday’s game. He kept a crafty Darren Collison out of the paint on a couple of occasions, and I like the way he did it. Gordon employed an almost Battier-ish approach. Rather than overcrowd Collison, Eric instead chose to guard the paint rather than the man. Collison still had a productive game, though the bulk of his points came against other Clipper defenders.

Mike Taylor needs to slow down, particularly on halfcourt sets. There’s nothing wrong with running out in transition to initiate the offense before the defense gets set, but Taylor’s frenetic pace is making life harder than it needs to be for the Clippers. He’s getting to the line at a good frequency, but his iffy ballhandling is costing the Clippers possessions. It’s not the turnovers, per se, but Taylor’s insistence on improvisation in the halfcourt, when he’s got weapons like Gordon, Griffin, and Jordan establishing position in the right spots. Taylor simply doesn’t have the vision to run a drive-and-kick scheme, which means that, except on breaks, he should be looking for his horses first.

“We’re talking to a lot of guys,” was Mike Dunleavy‘s response to a questions about Allen Iverson. He acknowledged that the conversations with Iverson and his camp are real, but that there are several point guards on his radar, Iverson being one of them. “It’s in your interest to talk to everyone,” Dunleavey said. “That’s how you understand where the market is.” Speaking with a number of other executives and agents in Las Vegas, the vast majority of them put the likelihood that Iverson will be in a Clippers jersey come October at less than 50%.

Attending the first summer league game I completely agree with the breakdown. I was very impressed with Eric Gordon’s off the ball defense and it’s just stunning to see how much bigger and stronger he is than any of the other SG’s in the game. Blake was a revelation from beginning to end. I was impressed by his self control as he had several chances to rattle the rim and instead feathered the ball over the rim with the lightest touch possible. DJ was stronger and bigger than I remember and was talking non stop to his teammates on both ends of the court. Taylor was a mess. It was like he was playing by himself and everyone else was watching which got him in trouble more than not. I hope we pick up a strong back-up guard, but not AI.

VH

Excellent analysis. You continue to impress KA. For me, Blake Griffin has been a pleasant surprise. I saw him play for Oklahoma and at the time, the Boozer comparisons seemed fitting but his passing and ball handling have been outstanding. Better than Boozer imho. With DJ playing well and Taylor still showing huge potential I really think we need to stay away from Iverson and focus on letting this young core grow. I’m starting to believe that these guys, even without a 2010 free agent, can make an impact in the west.

the chosen one

Strong review. I would like DJ to have a better dribble when in the post seems he is either dribbling to far from his body which off guards poke it away or he has to make a quicker move to the basket using his athletic skill once he catches the ball.

Mike just needs more work but he should alright. We need Baron and maybe some outside influence to work on his PG ability.

Dan S.

Blake is a much better passer than I thought. Maybe the crowded college game stifled this, but in the more wide open pro game his court vision really shines through. He doesn’t have great height or length for a power forward, but his explosiveness, athletic ability, and strength (which will only increase after a year or two in the league) should more than make up for that.

DJ has made solid strides. It’s hard to say much about his offensive game since it’s all dunks, but I like the activity level. He looks both bigger and more mobile than before, which is huge. Needs to keep working on his footwork and post game, but I really like what I see.

Eric Gordon looks like he is playing against high schoolers on offense. Other than his outside shot not falling, he pretty much gets what he wants without trying that hard. His defense looks really solid as well. If the refs actually call fouls on his drives this year he will be a monster.

Mike Taylor looks like he has regressed. The two summer league games have made me want to go get another backup PG.

http://www.lasventions.com John E Biddle

Great article. The Clips are going to be back!

Asin

Anyone know what’s up with Steve Francis?

http://www.clipperblog.com Kevin Arnovitz

Working out in Florida as we speak.

Asin

Any news on how he’s looking?

Asin

What about Al Harrington at the small?

Sam K

Kevin Arnowitz, you are the man. Keep up the great work. I check this blog compulsively.

shutup

Great article Kevin and i totally agree with everything everyone is writing. BG looks great, DJ looks way better but he needs to stop dribbling so hard when he posts up and EG is going to shine this year. I’m not sure how i feel about AI, i love him as a player and think he could add some punch to the second unit. But I’m just worried he won’t be happy with the coming off the bench and he’ll make everyone’s life miserable. IMHO, the only thing the clippers are missing is another strong scoring forward and i think Banks from Memphis might fit the bill. I watched him play and i liked his style. If he can hit the open J on a regular bases we’ll be set. Great article, finally someone who’s not trying to bash the clippers 24-7! I can’t wait for the season to start!

http://www.firedunleavy.com FireDunleavy .com

So, Clippers and AI met yesterday and all is quiet? I guess he’s not coming.

VH

I was concerned to hear Dunleavy during his interview say that AI coming off the bench would not be a prereq for him coming to the team. Dunleavy seemed to be very interested in getting Iverson under any circumstances. I know he feels like he has something to prove, but I do think he can be a bit shortsighted at times.

Petey Pablo

On an other note , Blake Griffin and possibly Eric Gordon will be working out with team USA’s mini camp.

Seth

Mike Taylor’s game is better off on the And 1 Tour. He’s too wild, can’t run the offense and needs to attend Basketball 101. If we sign Sessions or even A.I. (I prefer Sessions), Mike Taylor will probably be gone before or early-mid season. Sorry Mike, you need to stop asking Blake to get you a towel, and worry about your game because Blake will be a superstar in this league and you will be just another PG who travels around the league on 10-day contracts.